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Movie studios are constantly flipping through stacks of comic books looking for their next idea. But the clever folks at Legendary Pictures have cut out the middle man, launching their own comic-book publishing house, which has released a trailer for its first story: Frank Miller's "Holy Terror."

"Terror" is about The Fixer, a brand new, hard-edged hero as he battles terrorism The graphic novel is a no-holds-barred action thriller told in Miller’s trademark high-contrast, black-and-white visual style, which seizes the political zeitgeist by the throat and doesn’t let go until the last page.

The book is due to be released Sept. 14, 2011, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that helped inspire Miller's tale.

“My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat," said Miller last year in announcing the project. "He’s not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that’s committed to our annihilation is kind of silly. It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to what’s going on out there. I’ve taken Batman as far as he can go.”

Incidentally, "Holy Terror" was originally called "Holy Terror, Batman" as was Miller's attempt to bring mainstream comics back to their propaganda roots. Back in the 40s, it was common for costumed heroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman to fight real-world villains like Adolpf Hitler. When DC balked at the idea of Batman vs. al-Qaeda, Miller substituted his own character, the Fixer.

The movie can't be far behind, right? Why else would legendary get into the comics business? You may recall that last year the studio released a comic book prequel to "Inception," which in retrospect appears to have been a trial balloon.